Next week all of my regular posts will be back as normal and no doubt I will have plenty to share with you from our holiday!
Enjoy x
Friday, 29 May 2015
My Favourite Cake Recipes
Today I thought I would share with you a roundup of my favourite bakes so far this year. I do like to look back at past recipes and hope that you enjoy them too. It also gives you a chance to see a bake that you may have missed!
Next week all of my regular posts will be back as normal and no doubt I will have plenty to share with you from our holiday!
Enjoy x
Next week all of my regular posts will be back as normal and no doubt I will have plenty to share with you from our holiday!
Enjoy x
Wednesday, 27 May 2015
My Favourite Family Favourite Recipes
As I am away this week enjoying time with my family I didn't want to leave you without a Family Favourites post.
This week I thought that I would share with you a collection of my favourite Family Favourite recipes that I have featured this year.
All of the meals that I have shared have been tried and tested on my family. They have all enjoyed trying new foods and new flavours. I look forward to trying more new foods and dishes on them and being able to share them with you in the future.
I hope you are all enjoying spring break half term and enjoying plenty of family meals!
Here are my favourite Family Favourite meals...
This week I thought that I would share with you a collection of my favourite Family Favourite recipes that I have featured this year.
All of the meals that I have shared have been tried and tested on my family. They have all enjoyed trying new foods and new flavours. I look forward to trying more new foods and dishes on them and being able to share them with you in the future.
I hope you are all enjoying spring break half term and enjoying plenty of family meals!
Here are my favourite Family Favourite meals...
Enjoy x
Tuesday, 26 May 2015
Fun in the Garden - Blogger Competition!
For us, as a family, garden time is important. The garden is a huge focal point of our lives. When we were looking at buying our house a garden was high up on our must have list. The garden was what sold this house to us. As soon as we saw the garden we knew that it was ideal for us.
When the hubby and I were growing up we both had fond memories of fun play time in the garden and we always knew that we wanted our children to create the same happy memories. As the children have grown, over the years we have so many pictures of happy times and memories of them in the garden.
In the day and age of technology that we live in it is even more vital that we get our children away from the screens and out into the fresh air and enjoying outdoor play.
Our dream has always been to create a garden that the whole family can enjoy. We have a veggie patch where we grow our own fruit and vegetables as well as having chickens for eggs. We believe that the children have gained a better understanding to where vegetables come from. They watch as the seeds germinate, to being planted outside, to seeing the produce grow to helping to harvest. Then of course the fun part, eating what they have seen grow. We love getting the children as involved as possible.
My top tips for getting children into gardening are:
Growing fruit and vegetables is fun but all children dream of having their own play area.
In our family play area of the garden we have a trampoline, swings, balls, sit on cars and rocking horses. This year we have made a new addition to their play area. We have added a playhouse for the twins. This has become a favourite area of play and an amazing piece of play equipment. To personalise the house for the twins we have painted the house in fun, bright colours. We are still yet to paint inside the house, that is next on our to do list. The hubby has done an amazing job at creating the area for the twins. He cleverly reused some old pallets to become the base for the house. Then by adding some extra planks of wood he has made an adjoining decking area for them to relax on. When we moved some old edging we realised that it would go around the sides of the decking perfectly to create a mini fence around. As you can see with their own little path leading to their house they have the perfect play area that they can call their own.
If you are thinking of adding any piece of play equipment this year to your garden to keep the children occupied during the summer and school holidays we would thoroughly recommend investing in a playhouse. This has been one of the best toy buys that we have made!
If you are a blogger Waltons are giving you the chance to win your very own playhouse, like the one pictured below! Waltons provide high quality playhouses, climbing frames, sheds, log cabins, green houses, summer houses and more. To be in with the chance of winning one of these fantastic playhouses all you have to do is write a blog post similar to what I have written telling Walton about how you like to keep your children entertained in the garden during the summer months. The best post, judged by Waltons, will win their very own playhouse! There will also be a runner up who will win a £50 voucher to spend at Waltons. Check out the Waltons blog for further information.
When the hubby and I were growing up we both had fond memories of fun play time in the garden and we always knew that we wanted our children to create the same happy memories. As the children have grown, over the years we have so many pictures of happy times and memories of them in the garden.
In the day and age of technology that we live in it is even more vital that we get our children away from the screens and out into the fresh air and enjoying outdoor play.
Our dream has always been to create a garden that the whole family can enjoy. We have a veggie patch where we grow our own fruit and vegetables as well as having chickens for eggs. We believe that the children have gained a better understanding to where vegetables come from. They watch as the seeds germinate, to being planted outside, to seeing the produce grow to helping to harvest. Then of course the fun part, eating what they have seen grow. We love getting the children as involved as possible.
My top tips for getting children into gardening are:
- Get them their own seeds to plant and care for
- Have sunflower growing competitions
- Give the older children their own area of responsibility in the garden or a set job like watering the greenhouse
- Take the children shopping and let the see the plants and allow them to select what to grow
- Let them get their hands in and muddy, kids love getting their hands in the mud!
- Get the children to paint and decorate their plant pots
- Hunt for garden mini beasts
Helping in the garden is not only great family bonding time but it also has great developmental advantages. It assists with physical development and their understanding of the world around them including life cycles and where their food comes from!
In our family play area of the garden we have a trampoline, swings, balls, sit on cars and rocking horses. This year we have made a new addition to their play area. We have added a playhouse for the twins. This has become a favourite area of play and an amazing piece of play equipment. To personalise the house for the twins we have painted the house in fun, bright colours. We are still yet to paint inside the house, that is next on our to do list. The hubby has done an amazing job at creating the area for the twins. He cleverly reused some old pallets to become the base for the house. Then by adding some extra planks of wood he has made an adjoining decking area for them to relax on. When we moved some old edging we realised that it would go around the sides of the decking perfectly to create a mini fence around. As you can see with their own little path leading to their house they have the perfect play area that they can call their own.
If you are thinking of adding any piece of play equipment this year to your garden to keep the children occupied during the summer and school holidays we would thoroughly recommend investing in a playhouse. This has been one of the best toy buys that we have made!
If you are a blogger Waltons are giving you the chance to win your very own playhouse, like the one pictured below! Waltons provide high quality playhouses, climbing frames, sheds, log cabins, green houses, summer houses and more. To be in with the chance of winning one of these fantastic playhouses all you have to do is write a blog post similar to what I have written telling Walton about how you like to keep your children entertained in the garden during the summer months. The best post, judged by Waltons, will win their very own playhouse! There will also be a runner up who will win a £50 voucher to spend at Waltons. Check out the Waltons blog for further information.
Photograph courtesy of Waltons
Disclosure: This post is in collaboration with Waltons. All views and opinions are my own and 100% honest. I am in no way involved with the running or judging of the competition.
Monday, 25 May 2015
My Top Tips and Recipe Ideas For Your Weekly Meal Plan
This week it is half term and we are having a much needed break.
That means no meal planning for me this week!
However I thought that I would share with you my top tips for meal planning and why I meal plan. If you are wanting to meal plan but are unsure how to get started this post should help you.
I am also sharing a selection of my favourite recipes from this year. I am sharing these to hopefully inspire you for some delicious meals.
Why do I meal plan?
I started meal planning as a way to budget better on our food shopping. I was also fed up of it getting to tea time and really not knowing what to cook for everyone.
What are the benefits of meal planning?
I find that when I work to a weekly meal plan I am not as stressed at meal time. I know what I am cooking and everyone knows what they are getting. I have found that meal planning not only saves us money as I use what needs using and buy what I need but also reduces our food waste. I hate wasting food as it feels like I am literally throwing money in the bin.
What are my top tips?
My top tips for meal planning are:
That means no meal planning for me this week!
However I thought that I would share with you my top tips for meal planning and why I meal plan. If you are wanting to meal plan but are unsure how to get started this post should help you.
I am also sharing a selection of my favourite recipes from this year. I am sharing these to hopefully inspire you for some delicious meals.
Why do I meal plan?
I started meal planning as a way to budget better on our food shopping. I was also fed up of it getting to tea time and really not knowing what to cook for everyone.
What are the benefits of meal planning?
I find that when I work to a weekly meal plan I am not as stressed at meal time. I know what I am cooking and everyone knows what they are getting. I have found that meal planning not only saves us money as I use what needs using and buy what I need but also reduces our food waste. I hate wasting food as it feels like I am literally throwing money in the bin.
What are my top tips?
My top tips for meal planning are:
- Plan on the same day each week and work it into your weekly routine.
- Before you plan take a look in your fridge and freezer to check what you have, what needs using and what you may need to buy.
- Before planning a meal to a specific day look at the dish and make sure you are going to have time to prepare and cook on that day.
- Love your leftovers and include them into your meal plan
- Accept that it may not always go according to plan, there will be weeks when it feels like you plan has gone completely out of the window, but hey, that is life. It is weeks like this that make you realise how much meal planning does help! Get on and plan for the following week.
- Have a designated book or board for your meal plan. I use both my blog and a fantastic meal planning pad that I got from The Green Gables.
After you have been meal planning for a while it will become a part of your routine and believe it or not if you do not meal plan you will miss it!
If you want to meal plan and have any questions or advice please do ask, I would love to offer any help.
Now on to some meal ideas.
Enjoy x
Sunday, 24 May 2015
18th May - 24th May 2015 - One Picture Everyday For One Year
I can tell that the children, particularly the twins, are ready for half term. This week has seen all of us become slower in the mornings.
This week has seen baking, running, injuries, outdoor fun and a little star!
Here is our week in pictures...
Monday 18th May 2015
These delicious Muesli and Chia Seed Breakfast Buns were the highlight of Monday's pictures. I baked them on Sunday for the hubby to take to work and they certainly were a great way to start the day!
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